Will and Angel Boy
by nbaluver11
Summary: This is a Solangelo fanfic. It starts with the 3 (or 4) days Nico has to be in the hospital with Will. I hope you enjoy. T for swearing and fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone. Thanks for reading this Solangelo fanfic. I know the beginning is a little slow, but it will definitely pick up in the following chapters. Feedback is always great, and I hope you like it...**

Chapter 1:

"Okay, you said you want me in the infirmary three days. Here I am," I huff and try to act annoyed. "I should be the least of your worries. I summoned a skeleton this morning and only faded for like an hour."

"You did what?" Will whips his head around and his blonde curls follow, bobbing around his head cutely. "I _told _you not to do any more Underworldl-_y_ stuff. I might make you stay an extra day for defying the doctor's orders."

I tap my foot and lean on the infirmary wall. Will and his Apollo campers have set up a temporary field hospital near the Strawberry Fields for all the wounded demigods. He drops his bandages and pokes me right in the chest. "You are _not _fading into oblivion on my watch. From now on, you're limited to here and the Mess Hall. Nowhere else."

I stare at him dumbly. "What-? You can't do that! You can't just tell me where I can and can't do." I try and act mad, because it's impossible to act mad in front of him.

Will locks eyes with me and I control myself from being lost in them. "Well too bad, Death Angle, for once you don't get what you want." He nudges me out of his way and walks to the door. "This is your room for the next few days. Get comfortable. I'll be back in a few minutes to start your checkup."

"_Angel Boy? _What does that even mean?" I look at him in confusion. Did he just give me a _nickname?_ Will doesn't even respond, he leaves the room and I let out my breath. What's been going on in my mind has been hard to come to terms with. I've just gotten over Percy and now I'm deeper in love with someone else.

I huff again and sit on the bed. The room looks pretty professional, it has a bed, sink, and a bathroom. I go to the sink and wash my face, hoping to clear my mind. The butterflies from my chest haven't left, but they feel oddly good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for your support, and sorry if this intro is going to be a little long. I'll be having a regular uploading of Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. And I know Part 2 is a little lengthy and boring, but I promise you next part will heat up a little. Thanks for sticking around. Enjoy.**

Chapter 2:

"Okay, Angel Boy. Let's see what's wrong with you," Will walks in with the dorkiest outfit imaginable, and I love it. He's dressed in a white lab coat that goes all the way to his knees and a stethoscope that makes him look like a halloween costume doctor.

He brings it out and places it on my chest. His touch sends electricity through my body. "You're going to need to take off that aviator jacket."

I don't even register what he says until a moment later. I'm still trying to stay in control of myself. "Oh come on, is that really necessary?" I groan in mock pain. I strip off my jacket and put it on the ground. All I'm wearing is my t-shirt, but I feel so exposed.

"Doctor's orders," he commands. He keeps doing the routine checkup on me, then grabs my hand.

I recoil it as soon as he touches me. He looks me in the eye and grabs my hand again. This time I don't back away. He takes my pale hand in both of his tan hands and inspects it. I will every part of my body not to turn my hand to shadow, but while he's tossing it from hand to hand, it turns into a shadow. I curse in my mind, not wanting to show how bad my _fading_ is.

"Wow, this is really bad. You're turning into shadows even when you're not doing anything," Will's voice is layered with concern. Then he turns to me and starts asking me questions. "How long has this been happening? Does more than your hand start to fade?"

I can barely think while he's looking at me, let alone answer the questions, but I manage to tell him truthfully. "Sometimes my whole arm fades at a time." I brace myself for his responce.

"This is _not_ good. Take off your shirt," Will tells me without hesitating. He takes off his doctor's gown thing.

"Um, excuse me? Why am I stripping down for you?" I get defensive, which might not be the best way to hide my emotions for him, but they tumble out anyway.

He drops his gown and rolls up with Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. He rolls his eyes and huffs, "Can you just listen to me for once. I need to start healing you and it's going to take a while. So get used to it."

I bite my lip, thinking of what to do. I give him a look of pure death and take off my t-shirt. Now I really feel exposed. I look down, uncomfortable being so bare and notice how thin I am.

He looks me up and down and comments, "You're really thin, I hope you know. It's unhealthy," he points to the bed. "Lie down on the bed."

"Well I'll admit that I'm not in the most healthy state," I reply drily. _Why an I even listening to Will? I've never listened to anyone before, _I think as I lie down. _Except Percy, of course._

I groan internally, knowing I'm sucking myself into another hopeless relationship. Except, this feels different, like there's a chance

He places his hands on my exposed stomach and I gasp audibly. I look to him with wide eyes. "Sorry, I'm not used to having physical contact."

"Well you're going to have to get over it. We'll be doing this for the next four days." I can tell he's trying to supress a smile. He seems to enjoy making me uncomfortable.

Will starts humming in Ancient Greek and I feel his hands heating up. The hotter his hands get, the more pain I feel. I almost forget about the fact that both his hands are on my stomach.

All the muscles in my body seem to be stretching past their breaking point. He keeps humming, and my body is searing in pain, but he doesn't stop. I start gasping for air, and look at Will. Even he has a strained look on his face.

I close my eyes again and try to concentrate on something else, but the pain is everywhere. I can't get comfortable, but I manage to stay relatively still.

I can feel his thoughts channeling through me, looking at all the damage to my physical body. He searches around my heart, lungs and hands to see what's wrong. I shield him away from any of my thoughts, not wanting to share any of my feelings, for him or anyone.

Will stops humming and opens his eyes. He pulls away to sit, but I'm clinging onto his t-shirt. My eyes widen and I let go, embarrassed that I was holding onto him.

He gives me a strained smile. "It's okay, that was painful to go through, even for me," he slumps into the chair facing me. "We have a lot of work to do, Angel Boy."


	3. Chapter 3

**It finally heats up. I think you'll like Sunday's upload even more. Enjoy.**

Chapter 3:

"So, what's wrong with me, doctor?" I lean back against the bed frame, tired. I don't even have the strength to put on a t-shirt.

"Well, you're being torn apart, literally. You've used too much of your powers and its been eating at your essence," Will knits his eyebrows together. "So it'll to take a while, but it can be fixed. I'm going to get us some nectar, I think we can both use some."

He gets up and leaves. I muster some strength to wash my face, hoping to clear away some of the pain. When I look up into the mirror, I can see all 24 of my ribs sticking out of my skin. My skin is a nasty pale color, not the most attractive thing in the world. I go back to the bed and put on my black t-shirt. I sit off the side of the bed, waiting for Will to come back.

A few minutes later, he comes in with two shot glasses of nectar. "To your heath," we clink our glasses together and drink. I hesitate for a moment, then drink it.

The only downside to having ambrosia or nectar is the taste. Not that it's bad, I love the cold ice-cream cake, but what it reminds me of. When I was younger, back in the 1940s, one of the only memories of my mother and sister together was of my birthday where my mom made me the best ice-cream cake ever. It always brings back sad memories, of both my mother and Bianca.

"So how long have you known about your fading?" He asks, making small-talk. I snap back into reality and take a moment to answer.

"Um ever since I went into my death-trance thing. A few weeks I'd say-," I am about to finish but he cuts me off.

"What?" He explodes. "_Weeks?_ Why haven't you told anyone?"

I look at him in shock and feel my anger rising. I get very defensive when I'm being attacked. "What do you mean? I was on the _Argo II _trying to save the world. I didn't have _time_ to worry about my heath. I was pretty busy trying to transport a freaking statue across the Atlantic." I stand up, annoyed at how stupid he's being.

"Okay, but when you came here, you could have at least told me, or anyone!" Will stands up too, obviously recovered from the healing he did. "Don't you even care about your health?"

"Not really, no," I hate when people pester me, and I'm feeling _very_ pestered right now. "Why do you care? It's not like-."

Will pulls me toward him before I can even finish. I look up to him in surprise, but before I can say anything our lips meet and we're kissing.


	4. Chapter 4

**This one's a little longer. There's a note at the end that I want you to read, but enjoy. **

Chapter 4:

It takes me a moment to register what's happening, since I was just angry at him and now he's _kissing _me. I can feel his lips pressed against mine and some part of me wants to stay there, but I recoil away.

I'm still angry at him and he can't just kiss me and make me feel better. He opens his eyes and looks at me in surprise. I guess he can tell I'm still angry, because he looks confused. He looks so funny when he's confused, I almost smile.

"No, you can't just kiss me and think that I'm not going to be mad at you," I say and glare at him. I step back and sit down on the bed, and he slumps into a chair. He runs his fingers through his hair. I look anywhere but at Will, still mad at him.

"So you're n-not gay?" Will's voice sounds scared. "J-just please don't t-tell anyone. Please."

I look at him and see him looks at me, on the verge of tears. "Wait, what are you talking about?" I don't understand why he's so distraught. "Of course I like you, but I'm pretty sure you don't ask someone out by getting them mad and then _kissing_ them."

Will's back straightens. He wipes away a tear and begins, "Wait, then why did you pull away? I'm so confused."

"So am I!" I pause to gather my thoughts. "I pulled away from your lips because I was still angry at you for annoying me."

Will lets out a laugh and lighten the air. "You had me going for a second that I just kissed a straight guy, and that would have been awkward." He pauses to feel his heartbeat. "Wow, that was a roller coaster of emotion."

We both stand up again, and I look up to see his face His eyes were still a little puffy from that quick bout of crying. "Sorry about that. I guess we're both pretty new to this _dating_ thing." I crack a smile.

"Woah there. I don't remember you ever asking me out, Angel Boy," he hits me playfully and grins. "Can I kiss you again or are you going to flip out again?"

I step toward him and his silly smile and reply. "Don't think you're off the hook for getting me mad, though." I lean upwards and press my lips against his.

I can feel him press down against my lips and wrap his arms around my back. I follow suit and push my chest up against his, my arms wrapping around him.

I've never kissed anyone before, not counting the last kiss a minute ago, and I never expected it to go like this. The last kiss was too short for me to process, and I was angry, so it clouded my senses.

The butterflies in my stomach have doubled, but they aren't out nervousness, but excitement. I have to lean my head up a good amount just to reach his lips, but it's totally worth it.

His lips are gently but firmly pressed against my lips, and heat radiates from them. I don't care that my nose is uncomfortably squished up against his face. My whole body heats up noticeably and I can't imagine how much I'm blushing. All my anger from before has dissipated into something else I haven't felt in a while, joy.

I can feel him start to smile, even with our lips together, and I smile with him. He slowly pulls away from me, but doesn't untangle his arms from my back. We lock eyes and he smiles even more. "So is that a yes?" I grin. I'm so out of breath, I can't reply more than that.

I can feel his heartbeat hammering through his ribs, even though I'm a few inches from his chest. "Yeah," he whispers back, still smiling. His blue eyes sparkle with amusement. His tousled hair is even messier, which gives him such a cute look. I realize in that moment how much I'm looking up and how tall he is.

"So, was this your plan all along? To abduct me into the hospital and keep me here until we do _that?"_ I ask him and it's his turn to blush.

"Yeah, it was," he bites his lip. "Well, I wouldn't keep you here _forever, _but I would have tried."

"That is _so_ lame," I laugh at the idea. "But so cute." I lean up and kiss him again. This one was shorter just because Will's blonde hair gets in the way and I pull away from his lips.

We both spit out his hair and laugh. "You're so cute when you laugh," he says through a smile. We seem to do a lot of smiling, and I like it.

**Before you go and judge me for whatever I did wrong (which I seem to do a lot), remember Nico's not the most socially comfortable person, and (at least I think) he would be awkward in that situation, however it would happen. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't know where this fanfiction will take us, but I will promise it'll be good. I think. Enjoy.**

Chapter 5:

I sit on the bed, trying to gather my thoughts, and Will comes to sit next to me. I reach out for his hand and squeeze it. "Now that you've got what you wanted, am I still confined to the hospital for half a week?"

Will's face becomes professional again. "Yeah. Don't think you're going to be getting any special treatment, Angel Boy. Your insides need a lot of fixing up."

"But I can leave the hospital, right?" I ask him, assuming he'll at least let me leave. I want to at least attend his funeral.

I've been having some mixed feelings about Leo's death. I know there's going to be a huge funeral for him, and I want to be there even if he's still alive. At first, right after the explosion and the battle, I could feel his soul leaving his body, passing into the Underworld.

But, a few hours after the battle, I felt him come back. It was such a shock, I stopped doing whatever I was doing. Souls don't come back to life often, but when they do, I can feel it. I'm pretty sure Leo's out there somewhere. IF he is, I know it's part of some crazy plan, so I'll keep my suspicions to myself.

"Nope." When I hear that, I snap my head toward Will to see if he's joking. "You're in really bad shape, dude. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

He reaches for my hand and I can tell he's sincere about being worried. My hand fades in his grip and for a moment, he holds nothing but shadows. A second later and my hand solidifies again. "See what I mean?"

I don't reply but lean my head on his shoulder, processing everything that's happened today. "Today was a good day."

"Yeah, I agree," Will turns and I remove my head from his shoulder. He gets up and smooths out his clothes. "I'm gonna go. Campfire is soon and I should be there."

I get up too, still shirtless from the mud healing. "Okay, see you later." I stop and think of a stupid nickname for him, but can't. Will sees me hesitate for a moment, and pulls me close. His hands tickle my back and I try not to squirm in his hug.

We kiss for a few moments, Will tracing his hands across my back, up and down my spine. Will pulls away and walks toward the door. "See you tomorrow, Angel Boy."

"Come on, we have some major healing to do," Will's voice pulls me from a deep sleep. I groan and drag myself out of bed. The only clean t-shirt in the room is a stupid orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt that I hate wearing.

It dangles from my shoulders, at least two sizes too big on me. Will tries to suppress a laugh, but I can tell I look silly. "Can you please get me my old clothes when you can? I really don't want to wear this any longer than I have to."

"I'll do it when I can, but there're some people that want to see you. While I was at the campfire, some people wanted to see you, so they should be coming any minute," Will washes his hands and sits next to me. "But after that, we're going to do some intense healing."

There's a soft tapping on the door and Will walks out to see who it is. Annabeth pushes past him and shuts the door before he can stop her.


	6. Chapter 6

**I want to introduce more character just to develop the plot. Enjoy.**

Chapter 6:

"Hey Nico," she says before sitting down.

"Hey, did you hear I have to stay confined here for three days?" I ask her before she can say anything else. She and I have had a weird relationship, and I don't want this conversation to start off awkward.

"Yes I did, but I think it's for the best. No one wants you to disappear, even though you don't think we care," Annabeth begins with. I already know where this conversation is going, and I dread it. "Nico, you have to take care of yourself. We _care_, whether you like it or not."

"Can we please not worry about that? Will's taking perfect care of me," I retort, wanting to end this part of the conversation.

Annabeth gives me a knowing smile. "Ah, yes, Will. I bet he will take good care of you," she keeps smiling.

I know I should be annoyed at her assumption, but it's true and I can't help but smile just thinking about it. "I knew it!" She says when she sees me smiling. "So you _do_ like him?"

I take a moment to think whether I can trust her. She is a daughter of Athena, after all, but I'm not the best with talking about my emotions. "Well, more than like him. I think we're dating."

I trail off, not even sure if I think we're dating. Annabeth squeals like a little girl on Christmas. "Wait, what do you mean, _you think_ you're dating?" She pauses in her squealing. I don't know why, but I've always felt comfortable around Annabeth, since I stopped being jealous of her. I feel like she won't judge me, no matter what I say.

"We kissed, but-,"

"Wait, you _kissed? _Already?" Annabeth looks at me in shock. "Percy didn't kiss me until, like, 2 years into our relationship."

"Yeah," I look away from her and blush. "It was pretty awkward at first." I pause, not wanting to explain further, but she urges me on. I painstakingly explain all the details, to Annabeth's joy. While I explain what happened yesterday, she gasps, giggles and doesn't stop smiling. I explain when I awkwardly pulled away from his kiss, then our extended kiss; everything up until now.

"Well you had a busy day yesterday," she concludes. I reluctantly nod and ask her how it's going out in the camp. "It's all fine. Lots of burials and emotions." She pauses to look back toward to door, as if she's checking to see if anyone's listening. She lowers her voice. "I'm having some suspicions about Leo."

Before she says anything else, my mind races. Should I tell her my suspicions, too? "I know everyone thinks he's gone, but I know, deep down, he's smarter than that and used the physician's cure. Somehow."

This is the moment of truth, if I tell her about Leo or not. "You have to promise not to tell anyone about what I'm going to tell you, okay?" I pause and she nods. "Well, when Leo blasted Gaia out of the sky, I felt him die, he was obliterated." I pause again, thinking if I should go on. "But, a few hours later, while I was hunting down the last of the monsters, I felt him come back. It was unconventional, but his spirit left the Underworld and came back."

There's a long pause before any of us speak. I desperately hope that I'm right, and Leo will come back, but I also don't want to get my hopes up. Maybe he wanted a fresh start, away from the demigod life. "I knew it. I _knew _it," Annabeth smiles and gets up. "Thanks for that. I hope you feel better, and listen to Will. No one wants you to turn into a ghost."

She smiles and leaves. I huff and lean back onto my bed. But before I get too comfortable, Jason barges in and stumbles on a chair. He smiles sheepishly and sits down across from me.

"Sorry to bother you, I know Annabeth was just in here, but I wanted to say hi," he starts and cracks his knuckles. "How are you doing with the whole _fading_ thing? You in decent shape?"

I let out a small laugh and reply, "It's fine, I think. I feel fine, personally. But how's it going outside, everything okay?" Annabeth didn't really inform me on what's going on, and I hope Jason will give me a little more info.

"It's all good, but I came here 'cuz I heard you, um, told Percy," he begins awkwardly. I roll my eyes, knowing it'll be another conversation like Annabeth's. _Since when did anyone care about me? _I wonder. "I'm just saying that it took a lot of courage and I'm proud of you."

Jason's always been so annoyingly persistent at trying to be nice to me, it gets on my nerves. "Oh wonderful. Jason is proud of me, my life if complete," my reply drips with sarcasm.

He smiles and shakes his head. "I'm just telling you the truth." He suddenly leans in closer toward me and whispers, "Piper and I would love to find you a match. I think Piper wants to introduce you to some of her brothers." He gives me the stupidest wink.

I scrunch up my face in disgust, just imagining what that would be like. "Um, no thanks. I, um, sorta have a boyfriend." I don't know why it comes out of my mouth so easily, but it feels good to say.

Jason looks at me for a second, processing what I just said. "Wait, what? _Already?" _He then proceeds to fire a million questions at me. "Who is it? Why didn't you tell me? Is he nice?"

I roll my eyes and stare at him. I really don't feel like talking about yesterday again. Talking to Annabeth really got me tired. "It's Will, he's the lucky man. I just explained it to Annabeth, so go ask her. Will told me to rest today, so "

Jason really doesn't look like he wants to go, but gets up anyway. "Okay, well I'll go talk to her. Rest up, we want you to feel better. Piper says hi." He stands toward the door and adds, "If he does anything bad to you, tell him I'll do something a thousand times worse." He smiles and leaves, so I finally get to relax.

I curl back into bed smiling and imagining Jason, my older brother figure, going up to Will and threatening Will to be nice to me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the support and hope you all keep reading. Enjoy.**

Chapter 7:

Will wakes me up the next day for another healing session. Yesterday was devoted solely to healing and he promised that if we made good progress today he might let me leave this damned room.

In my free time, which I have a lot of, I dwell on things I haven't had to before. I think about my relationship with Will, feelings for Percy, and Annabeth's conversation yesterday. Leo has been worrying me for a while because if he's still alive, which he is, and why hasn't he come back? That takes up a lot of my mental dialogue.

I get out of bed and peck Will on the lips. "Good morning, sunshine," I tell him. I woke up in a good mood and I feel better.

"Someone's in a good mood today," he reaches for my hand and takes it in his. "If we get a lot of fixing done today, maybe you won't have to stay here tonight."

I smile, but one part of me likes staying here with Will alone. I never thought about it, but when I leave the room, people will see me differently now that I'm dating Will. Most of me doesn't care what people say, I've never cared what people say about me, but another, smaller part is worried about how people will take it.

"How are you feeling? It looks like you're doing great." He points to the bed and I know the drill; I lie down on the bed and take off my shirt. I squirm when he pokes my ribs. "You're gaining a little weight, too."

I wouldn't say I feel good; I'm a long way from good, but I'm on the right track. I've gotten so used to the pain that I've been carrying, that I'm used to it. Now that it's lessening, I feel like a huge burden is being lifted. But all i say to him is, "Better. I'm doing a lot better. It's just going to take time."

He nods knowingly. Without a word, he closes his eyes and presses his hands onto my stomach. I still shrink away from his touch, but I'm slowly getting used to it.

The rest of the day is devoted to just that, Will's constant Ancient Greek humming and fixing my insides. We take a few breaks for ambrosia and nectar so Will doesn't tire out. While he's healing, I either watch his soft face as he hums, or close my eyes and try to sleep. Either way, the day goes by slower than a snail.

At the end of the day, before dinner, Will lets me leave, finally. I put my black t-shirt on and aviator jacket and embrace him. "Thank you so much," I feel a tear forming on my eye and bury my face in his shoulders.

He hugs me back and cups his hand on my face. He brings my face to look at him and he notices me crying. He delicately wipes it away and gives me a sad smile. "I'm here for you, don't cry." He tilts my head up a little and brings his lips to mine. He kisses me so gently, just brushing our lips together. I press up into his lips, wanting more. He chuckles and presses back. We stay kissing for a while after, but the light's out iron interrupts us and we part ways.

"Good night, Angel Boy," he calls to me from his door. I walk into my cabin and crash instantly into the coffin beds.

The next day I wake up to the morning conch. My mind goes instantly to the morning cabin checkup. I get up and survey the room. It's fine for now, so I leave for breakfast. On the way, I see Piper and Annabeth together, and I walk over to them.

"Hi Nico," Piper says happily. "You look great. I'm glad Will's taking good care of you." She winks while she's saying the last part. Annabeth laughs at that, I give her a strained smile.

"Yeah, he's great," I'm about to say more, but Chiron calls everyone's attention and everyone looks at him.

"May I have everyone's attention?" He bangs his hoof on a rock. "I just want to announce and say a huge thank-you to Nico, who has just recovered from several days in the infirmary. He helped Reyna transport the Athena Parthenos all the way from Europe."

Everyone turns to me and I go beet-red. They start cheering, even Annabeth and Piper pat me on the back. "Good job, you did an impossible task," Annabeth says through the cheering. I turn to her and give her an awkward smile.

The cheering dies down and I have a relatively normal breakfast. Lots of people come up to me and thank me, and it felt weird to have some time alone. It feels weird because whenever I'm alone, I'm usually brooding on my emotions. Now, I just feel sort of empty, not really thinking about anything.

Except Will.

I look at him throughout the breakfast, making eye contact every once in a while and smiling when we do. Some of his Apollo siblings notice our eye contact and whisper to each other. I'm slightly worried that they're saying bad things, but I shrug it off.

After breakfast, Will comes up to me while I'm walking to the Arena. "Hey, so can you come to the infirmary during campfire tonight, and probably every night, just so we can check up and do some healing. I talked to Chiron and he said that we can skip campfire, so don't worry."

I nod and we walk toward the Arena. "So what's your plan for today? You can't overexert yourself."

"I know, doctor. I just really need to swing my sword and slash some things," we pass the cabins and keep going toward the Arena.

Before we get too far, something catches my eye. Off in the distance, above the shoreline, there's a huge flaming bronze dragon, trailed by a whole flock of screaming birds.

It takes me a moment to put two and two together, but when I do, I gasp.

"Oh my gods, it's Leo."


	8. Chapter 8

**No more uploads on Wednesdays. Still expect stuff on Fridays and Sundays. Enjoy.**

Chapter 8:

A cry comes up from the many kids wandering from the Mess Hall. I see Annabeth gasp and start running toward Festus. Piper is close behind her.

That's when my mind starts taking action. I hear Will telling me to not help, that I'm too weak, but I don't care. I need to help Leo and see if he's okay.

I catch up with Annabeth and ask her what to do. "You check to see if Leo's okay," she tells me through her labored breaths. I nod and peel off from her, seeing Leo's flames shooting from near the back of Festus. Three huge, and I mean huge falcons are swarming around him. They look like some flying dinosaur, their claws are as long as my forearm. Their wingspan is at least twice my height, and that's huge, even if I'm short.

One bird gets charred by Leo's flames and I close in on the other two. In the back of my mind, I hear Will reminding me not to do any Underworld-y stuff, but I don't plan on using any.

"Leo, are you okay?" I yell above the shrieking of the birds. I dodge a pair of talons and swipe back at it, sending it cawing back. I spare a second to see how he's doing and he's crouched over a girl. "Who is that?"

I almost get skewed by another pair of claws but I bring my black sword up and the claws make a screeching noise against my blade. It takes all my effort to keep the claws from raking my torso, but I push back and swipe at its wings.

"Doesn't matter! Just get those damn birds away!" I hear him yell, still facing the girl. His voice is pained, but I don't have much time to dwell on it. He's completely vulnerable, so I stand between him and the birds.

I keep my eyes on both birds and see one preparing to dive. I slowly shuffle away from Leo, not wanting him to get in the way, and I wait. The bird screams then dives toward me, claws first.

At the last moment, I feel the adrenaline pump through me and I hop just out of the talons' way. It caws as it tumbles into the ground and I close in. It starts to flap its wings together, but before it can get airborne, I swing at its head.

It was a clumsy blow; I'm not the best swordsman, but it did the trick. I feel the bird's essence being sucked into my sword and send it back to Tartarus.

I turn back to Leo and gasp for the second time today. The second bird is streaking toward Leo, who's still crouched next to the girl, and I know I'm too far to do anything.

I try to cry out to get his attention, but my voice only comes out as a muffled cry. I watch the bird get closer and closer to Leo, and I brace myself.

I see a couple glints of light coming from to my left and they zip by to intercept the bird. Before the bird can get within ten feet of Leo, the bronze glints connect with their target.

The bird poofs into yellow dust and it slowly settles around Leo, but he still doesn't look up. I turn to see whose arrows saved Leo. but I think I already know the savior. I smile and turn to Will, but before I can take a step toward him, I hear Leo sobbing.

I spin back to Leo and go full-speed toward him. I don't know what's wrong, but if Leo's crying, I know it's bad. While I'm running toward him, Annabeth finishes off the last bird with her drakon sword and turns to see how Leo's doing. When she sees he's still crouched near the wrangled body of Festus, she sprints with me toward Leo.

Leo's hands are caked in fresh blood, and more seems to seep from nowhere. He lets out another sob and that's when I notice the bloody body cradled in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

**I could have cut the chapter short, but I hate writing short chapters. Do you like the chapters longer, like this length? Let me know. **

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 9:

Annabeth's panting is cut short when she sees Leo. "Oh gods," she gasps and kneels down. She immediately takes action and says, "Give her some of this." With shaking hands, she pulls out a jar of nectar and hands it to Leo.

He murmurs a _thanks _and barely gets the cork off. He take a bloody hand and gently pours the nectar into the girl's mouth. Blood is dried all along one side of her face, but she looks oddly familiar. I take a closer look at her and see her blood is speckled with something shiny, like flakes of gold.

I think of Will and his healing skills but before I can turn to look for him, he meets us under the wreckage of Festus. He has a medical bag in one hand and his bow in the other. He tosses the bow away and gets Leo's attention.

"You have to move her out of this mess." When Leo shows some sign of comprehension, Will keeps talking. "Can you carry her out of here?"

As an answer, Leo stands up and sniffles. He carries the girl up out of the smoldering body of Festus and lays her on the grass a few meters away. Annabeth and I solemnly follow her and I notice death radiating from her.

Yet there was something particular about her battle between death. I feel the pull of immortality on her, like the two are fighting for control. I keep quiet, not sure what to conclude from this.

Chiron's hoofs bring me back into reality and I see him kneeling around the girl with Will. Leo sits apart from them, his head buried in his hands. We're encompassed by the whole camp, some of them armed and some with downcast faces.

I hear a few sniffles from the crowd and notice some Hephaestus campers are trying not to cry. The Seven are huddled around Leo, trying to give whatever comfort they can. I can tell they're elated at knowing he's alive, but it's dulled by Leo's sadness.

Will starts singing in Ancient Greek and it cuts through the still air. I scoot toward the Seven and pat Leo on the back. "Nice dramatic entrance," I joke, hoping he might crack a smile.

He lets out a pained chuckle and looks at me. "Yeah, I guess." I take a closer look at Leo, sending something is off. I stand back, almost revolted. Part of him still radiates death, part of him is sill _dead_. I don't bring it up since there's more pressing matters to attend to, but I know I should tell him.

Annabeth wraps her arm around me in a comforting hug and I concentrate on the girl's aura.

I do my best to ward off any Death that wants to grab her, but her aura still puzzles me. She has the distinct power of an immortal, but it seems to be fading. Next to Chiron's immortal aura and Will's demigod aura, she come across as similar to Will.

I'm so concentrated on her aura that Death gets a grip on her soul and I can't shake it away. Will's hymns get more strained and Chiron bandages faster, but it's no use. I feel death taking its toll on her body.

I gasp audibly and everyone looks at me. My grim face must tell them what I feel, because Leo bursts into tears and his hair inadvertently sets on fire.

Her death was similar to when I experienced Pan's death; it was her immortality dying.

Yet it was different than Pan's death. With her death came the birth of something else.

The birth of a mortal.

The girl's gasps startle the whole camp. She bolts to her feet, looking around crazily. Some Ares campers lower their swords and scowl, but other campers wave their weapons away.

Will is so shocked, he falls over and Chiron canters back a little. Leo breaks the spell and rushes toward her and embraces her. She takes a moment to register who it is, but when she does, a smile spreads across her face.

I think everyone blushes a little at the act of intimacy, but Leo cuts the hug short. He sniffles and looks at everyone. "Calypso, we made it. It's Camp Half-Blood." She turns to the crowd around her and gives us a sheepish smile.

When he introduces the girl to us, I instantly recognize her. _How could I forget… _

The whole camps returns her smile and the Seven, including me, go up to Leo and embrace him. That's when some of the Hephaestus campers realize Leo's back.

"Is that Leo?" someone says.

"Wasn't he the one that blew up Gaia?"

"How did he survive?"

Chiron and Will scoot back away from the big group hug, and I find myself the closest to Leo, in the center of the big hug.

"You made it, bud," Jason's voice says.

"It's so good to see you!" Hazel puts in.

A dozen more congratulations and puzzled questions come barging from everyone while I'm being pulped between Piper and Percy.

_Percy._

My eyes go wide and I squirm, trying to get away from all this touching. I'm over my feeling for Percy, but we haven't really ever talked about my feelings for him, so I sort of panic while I'm being pressed against him.

Thankfully, the hug is unraveled and I can uncomfortably scoot away from Percy. Jason turns to the camp with a huge grin and proclaims, "Leo is back! He's alive!"

The Hephaestus campers cheer louder than all the other campers combined. 20 or so burly kids pup their fists in the air and chant his name.

Annabeth catches my eye and she winks at me. Her faces shows she knew this was going to happen and I wink back. _Me too, _I think.

"So how did you cheat death?" Jason shakes his head. "If anyone would cheat death, I would think it would be you, bro."

"It wasn't too bad, really," Leo shrugs off the compliment, and wraps his arm around Calypso, who I, too, know quite fondly. I don't know if she will bring up the time when I spent a year on that damned island. I don't want to have to relive any of it.

"I was pretty charred when I died, and it hurt like Hades," he begins. The whole camp quits down to hear his death-defying story. "But it was pretty simple. I just programmed Festus to inject the Physician's Cure into me a few hours after I died.

"And it was all part of my plan. I figured that since you can only visit Ogygia once in your lifetime, I should make a new lifetime. And on the second visit, I whisked her back here," Leo finishes shortly. "It was a win-win situation." Many Aphrodite kids giggle and sigh at that touching love story.

Chiron cuts that short by stamping his hoof. "Everyone go back to your day. There is still lots to do," Chiron then turns to us. "You guys follow me."

Leo leads Calypso toward Chiron and the rest of us follow. "I was worried his plan wouldn't work," Hazel's voice whispers to Frank.

"Um, Chiron, I think Calypso should stay in the infirmary for a while. She isn't in the best shape. Neither is Leo, for that matter," Will tells Chiron hesitantly. I wonder if Will can tell Leo's death is still lingering around him.

"Of course. But this should only take a few minutes. Come with us if you want," Chiron says it more of a statement than a suggestion, so he reluctantly falls in line with me, near the back of the group.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the support and I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 10:

Most of the campers have dispersed away from the crash site, but the Hephaestus campers are still near Festus, trying to fix it from its crash.

Will softly touches my hand and I take it in mine. I don't know why we're being lead to the Big House, right after we found out Leo just came back to life, but I stay silent with Will.

"I just wanted to get you all back together and say thank you for everything," Chiron begins once we're al settled in the Conference Room. He looks at Mr. D, wanting him to add to that. "Right, Dionysus?"

"Yeah, yeah, you saved the world. Good for you," Mr. D says with feigned interest. "By the time I was your age, I traveled the world and became a god, so don't feel too good about yourselves."

Frank and Hazel, who have never met Mr. D before, look at him in disbelief. I think I hear Frank whisper to her, "Who _is _this guy?" Chiron glares at Mr. D and apologizes on his behalf. "Don't believe anything he says. He was a rowdy student, nothing like you guys. The gods and I are eternally thankful for saving us from extinction."

Everyone keeps talking, chatting about Leo and my eyes start to wander around the room, falling on all the couples in the room. Frank has his hands intertwined with Hazel's, Leo and Calypso are snuggled together, her arm wrapped around Leo's waist. Jason's arm rests gently on Piper's shoulders, with her head leaned on his.

Percy and Annabeth aren't touching, but I can feel them leaning toward each other, comfortable just being around one another. All this touching brings a smile to my face, which is so unlike me, and I bring my leg up against Will's, wanting to be part of this intimacy. He looks down at me, smiles and rests his hands warmly on my knee. His hand the only thing I can think about for a few moments.

"And this is Nico," Leo points to me, apparently introducing Calypso to everyone. "He's a son of Hades and-."

"I know him," Calypso's eyes twinkle with amusement. Everyone looks at her in confusion and she flashes them her dazzling smile. "Oh, has he never told you? He's kept me company on Ogygia for many months. He's been there more than once, strangely enough."

Everyone swings their heads at me, looking for an answer. Before I can explain, Leo demands, "And you never _told _me? I _died_ just trying to get back there!"

I glare at Calypso and her smug face. "When I Shadow Travel, it sometimes brings me there, and it won't let me Shadow Travel away," I look at everyone with a helpless look. Then I feel anger rising and fail to settle it. "It wasn't like I every _planned _to go to that hellhole." I pause to give her another glare. The memories there are too great and pained that I can't help but get angry and curse. "And it was her damn fault I couldn't leave for a long time. She couldn't fall in love with me."

Calypso gasps a little and retaliates. "Excuse me? I'm sorry I didn't fall in love with an annoying little brat." I rise out of my chair at her accusation and my powers ripple away from me; the plant in the middle of the table shrivels and dies. But that doesn't stop her from provoking me any more than she already has.

When her mouth opens for another round of insults, I already know what she's going to say, dreading the moment when it comes out of her smug smile.

"Well don't act like you fell in love with me, either. You don't even like girls!"

Before she finishes, the anger bubbled up inside me bursts and I jump over the table, reaching for her and her annoying throat. I don't really know what I plan on doing if I get to her throat, but I'm so angry and emotional, I just need to let it out.

Will holds me back and without him, I would've probably reached her windpipe. I don't take my eyes off her and her annoying, smug grin. As much as I want to hold them in, tears spill across my face out of anger.

Leo puts his arms protectively across Calypso and Hazel comes to pull me back as well. "Asshole!" I scream. Piper uses her Charmspeak to calm the situation, but my anger blocks it out.

Will diffuses the situation by whistling an inaudible sounds, making us all cringe. That halts my train of thought and Hazel takes that opportunity to pull me off the table. She puts her arm in front of me so I don't jump at Calypso again.

The room quiets down again and Chiron takes control of the situation. "Now what in the gods' name just happened there?" He looks at me first, as if I was the cause of this problem.

"Wait, when Calypso said you don't like girls, does that mean…" Leo's voice trails off, not wanting to address the problem face on.

Everyone's eyes are pinned to me, and my voice gets caught in my throat. Up until a few days ago, I never thought about telling everyone that I'm gay, it was always an internal battle, not for people to know about. Like my other problems, I fight them on my own.

All the energy drains from me and I slump back into my chair, trying to cover up the fact I'm silently crying. I look at Will, pain and sadness all across my face. I don't even want to imagine Calypso's satisfied look right now.

Will takes my hand under the table and brings it up for everyone to see. My eyes widen and I try to pull away, but he holds me firm. "Yes, Nico is gay, and so am I. We're actually dating, so if any of you have a problem, just say it." Will sits tall, looking to everyone in the room.

I, on the other hand, shrink smaller, but squeeze his hand in thanks. Annabeth smiles genuinely, and gives me a thumbs-up. Everyone else looks at the two of us, shocked into silence. Percy looks like something finally dawned on him.

Mr. D's snap interrupts the icy silence and the plant springs back to life. Frank, who wasn't paying attention, reels back. "Oh come on guys, loosen up. Back in my day, _everyone _was gay. I even had a boyfriend for a time," Mr. D says casually. He looks at his nails absently.

That loosens the situation and Jason lets out a nervous chuckle. "Well that was very," he pauses to look for the right word. "Uncomfortable. To say the least."

Everyone agrees, but I don't care, I still glare at Calypso. "Well, I think we all have a lot of things to do. Leo, Calypso, go with Will to the infirmary so he can check up on you," Leo nods and leads Calypso out of the Conference Room. I groan internally, wanting to have some alone time with Will, but I have to put up with Calypso.

We all start dispersing, but I stay close to Will, holding his hand tightly. I feel that if I let go, I'll just unravel and burst into tears. Even though I'm physically doing better, my mental state is more fragile than before. I'm assuming now that I have time to face my emotions, its sort of deteriorating me.

"What was that all about?" Will asks once we're relatively alone. Leo's taking Calypso for a tour of the camp, so we have a few minutes alone. "Not the part about coming out. I'm totally fine with that part."

He gives me a silly grin and squeezes my hand. "Well," I begin, I don't want to talk about it, but his puppy eyes push me on.


	11. Chapter 11

**Not the most exciting chapter, but important. Thanks for all the amazing feedback. Enjoy. **

**I realized there was a glitch. I think it's fixed. Thanks for telling me.**

Chapter 11:

I huff and start. "The first time I went to Ogygia, she noticed I didn't like girls, and she coaxed me into admitting I was gay. Before that, I just pushed away my feelings, not facing them. That's why I loved and hated Percy for the longest time. He brought back those feelings that I tried so hard to suppress," Will gives me a questioning look, and it takes me a moment to realize he never knew I liked Percy. I smile sadly, "Yes, he was my crush. Get over it."

Will opens his mouth to tease me, but I cut him off. "But when I was in Ogygia, there was time to wonder about my thoughts. It didn't help that she was pestering me and not being the most supportive. When she found out that I liked Percy, she bragged that he fell in love with her, and would never fall in love with me." I close my eyes and concentrate on not crying. Just thinking about the torment I went through on the island sends a shudder down my spine.

Will notices my pain and hugs me in the middle of the camp. His warm embrace steadies me and I manage to go on. "So when I came to terms with that, which took days of torture, I didn't feel much better. Flashbacks of Italy kept popping into my mind; hundreds of people slaughtered, just because they were gay, like me."

I know that talking about those flashbacks is a dangerous topic. Just thinking about my sister, Bianca, sometimes brings them flooding back, hundreds of people killed in front of my eyes.

"Woah, wait. What are you talking about?" Will looks confused yet again.

I try to focus on his cute blonde curls, pushing away the memories, and they slowly fade away. Once they're gone, I keep going. "When you started dating me, you got everything. All my problems and luggage." I stop because I'm uncomfortable talking about myself.

I expect Will to urge me on, to finish what I started, but he just leads me to a secluded bench where we can have some quiet. He holds my hands in his and stays silent, letting me take my time. "This is going to get weird. Really weird, but bear with me.

"So I was born is Fascist Italy in the '30s and stayed there until the beginning of World War II with my mom and sister. But before we left, I saw so many horrible things. Jews and gays were paraded around our town, shown as criminals, then butchered for us all to see. By that time, I subconsciously knew I was like them, I was gay. I couldn't sleep, thinking I was a criminal, and I even thought to turn myself in. I didn't know that being gay was fine, they brainwashed me into thinking it was a sin, the worst of sins." I choke up, remembering the sleepless nights and all the crying. "I just imagined myself as one of the people being killed."

From there, I explain to him everything else that happened, Zeus killing my mother, Bianca and I going to the Lotus Hotel, Bianca's death, up until now. Talking about Bianca was probably the hardest. She was the only person I cared for and connected to, and losing her was probably just as hard as admitting to myself that I was gay.

"Holy Hera, dude," Will finally says, once I'm done. The sun has set a good amount, and I watch the sky turning from its usual blue to a deep pink. "I can't believe you're still here. You have no idea how strong you are."

He lifts my head with one hand and looks me in the eyes. "Everything is going to be better now, I promise. I'm here for you."

We stay on the bench, eye to eye for a few moments. My heart hammers at his words, hoping, clinging to them. The sunset paints his hair a beautiful pinky-red, and I brush a lock aside.

I lean up toward him, realizing yet again how short I am compared to him. I bring our lips together and wrap my arms around his back, pressing up against his chest. Talking about my past has drained my energy and I just fall into his embrace.

He kisses me back gently, comforting me. I'm still trying to get used to how nice it is to embrace someone. Ever since Bianca died, I've had no one to cuddle or hug, and I miss it. Will's breath tickles me when he breaths, and I pull away, smiling.

"I love you," he whispers so softly, I almost miss it. I smile even wider and lean my head into the crook of his neck, pushing away his hair.

"I love you too," I reply, because I do. It's not a passionate love where I want to marry him and have his kids, but a love that we can comfort each other when we need it.

"Awwwwwwww," I hear a familiar voice come from behind the Zeus cabin. I straighten out and pull away from Will's neck. Both Will and I look for the source of the voice. I have a feeling it was directed at our cuddling.

I finally find Piper, Annabeth and Hazel's heads peeked out, spying on us with huge smiles on their faces.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the later upload, I'll still have a new chapter on Sunday. I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 12:

Will laughs when he sees them and we both get up, hand in hand. When the girls notice us moving toward them, they squeal and scamper away.

I let out a playful breath and apologize. "Sorry about that, my friends are a little weird, if you haven't noticed," I lean against has shoulder and keep watching the sunset.

"Oh, you have no idea. My siblings are crazy," he pats me on the back and leads me to the hospital. Leo and Calypso are outside, waiting for us.

For the rest of the night before dinner, I tolerate Calypso just to stay near Will. Apparently, leaving Ogygia stripped her of her immortality and it needs some adjusting. Leo also needs Will's attention, dying and coming back to life really took a toll on his soul.

I get Leo alone for a second, while Will and Calypso are getting a drink of water and warn him. "Don't get on Calypso's bad side. She has thousands of years of anger that's pent up, and I doubt you'll want to be on the wrong side of it." Leo doesn't have a chance to respond because Calypso enters the room, but he looks worried for a few minutes.

I want to leave on multiple occasions, just sick of Calypso and her resentment toward me, but Will makes me stay. On the way out, he thanks me for putting up with her.

"I would never expect her to have a shred of bitterness in her." The two of us walk to the Dining Hall, Will exhausted after the healing session.

"Well, I bet you would turn a little crazy after being on an island for all eternity and teased with boys you fall in love with but leave whenever you do."

"No need to be sassy," he playfully shoves me and then brings me back by laying his arms across my shoulders.

We walk into the Dining Hall like that, intimately snuggled together. It doesn't even cross my mind about people's judgement until most of the Dining Hall goes silent when we walk in.

I was so concentrated in being next to Will, I didn't realize all the weird gazes cast our way. I stiffen and step a little away from Will once I notice all the attention on me, but Will doesn't loosen his grip.

Not everyone is quiet though; the Aphrodite cabin is flooded with whispers and gleeful giggles, all fueled by Piper. The Apollo cabin are also ablaze with whispers, some kids even whoop at Will.

Will beams at his siblings and blushes. We detach from each other and sit at our respective tables. Our tables are only a couple of rows apart, so I hear the excited whispers from his table.

"You did it!"

"I'm so proud of you."

"He's pretty cute." At that, I stop listening, afraid of what else I'll hear.

The rest of the night goes by uneventfully, besides the abundance of weird glances from people and a few smiles from my closer acquaintances.

The next night is Friday, which means it's Capture the Flag night. During the day, I practice with Will, him shooting arrows, and I beat up some dummies. We work on a combining our powers and think of some mischievous plans. I pray to all the gods hoping we're on the same team.

Luckily, when Chiron announces the teams, were are, along with Annabeth, and Hazel. Everyone else is on the other team, which gives us a huge disadvantage.

Annabeth gathers the four of us in the command tent the Athena cabin put up, and tells us the game plan. By the time she's done, the game has almost started, so we hurry to our position. Hazel goes to put up some simple Mist traps ahead of us.

Once the games begin, I get a rush of adrenaline. I haven't play Capture the Flag in years, and can't wait to get some action. With my Stygian Iron sword in hand, I walk silently with my teammates toward the enemy flag.

"So we're going to split up. I'm going to find Percy and try to take him down," she tells me with a sly smile. "So I hope you, Will, and Hazel can handle the other four on your own."

I nod and watch Will come back from scouting with his bow in hand. Hazel come comes back a moment later, and Annabeth tells us wha to do next.

When she's done, she peels off away from us and we follow Hazel, who apparently knows where she's going. "One of my traps went off, and I'm pretty sure Frank set it off." She smiles at the idea of seeing Frank stumble clumsily into one of her traps.

We advance steadily, knowing they're close by. I freeze when I hear a twig snap and scramble to get out of the person's line of sight, and Hazel follows suit. I quickly take cover next to Will and hear Leo curse.

A few shushes come from ahead of us and Hazel bites her lip, fighting off a laugh. We hear them creep forward, closer to our position, and I slow my breathing.

"They're close, I can feel it," Piper's voice warns her friends. I suppress a smile, anticipating the action to come.

Once they step close enough, Hazel gives me another nod, and pops out of her hiding place. A cry of alarm come from the group and Hazel starts working her Mist magic. I jump out of my hiding spot with Will, who sends arrow after arrow at the four of them.

Hazel's conjured a few hellhounds out of the Mist, which are keeping Piper and Frank busy. "Stop!" Piper's Charmspeak keeps some hellhounds at bay, and Frank's turned into a bear, swatting at any hellhound that dares creep too close.

I charge, the only one skilled enough at hand-to-hand contact. I raise a skeleton, but I want to conserve my energy, so I don't make any more.

Jason is busy deflecting Will's barrage of arrows, and doesn't have time to mount an attack. He laughs manically, taunting Will. "Is that all you have? This is like swatting flies out of the air."

I take a second to turn back at Will and see him smiling in return. This light mood is such a contrast to what battles usually are, but it's so fitting. It's a good challenge to actually fight against one another, a test of power.

I snap back to reality ands know Will's going to run out of arrows soon, so I make my way to Leo who's busy tinkering with some things in his belt. When he notices me and my skeleton, he throws his contraption and I instinctively dodge it.

The skeleton behind me isn't so lucky. The mechanism burst and the skeleton crumples and melts back to the Underworld. Leo sends wave after wave of screwdriver at me but I dodge them, feeling the adrenaline pulse through my veins.

I give Leo a sly smile, testing him. "Let's dance," he replies, pulling out two small sledgehammers and flipping them in his hands.

I take his invitation and slash low and hard. My honed blade glides effortlessly though the air and the blade feels like an extension of my arm. Leo parries with on hammer and and attacks with the other.

I hop out of reach, still smiling. I jab at him, using my advantage of a longer weapon. From the corner of my eye, I see Jason making good progress toward Will and I know I need to end this quickly.

So I make a plan. A stupid, reckless plan, but a plan all the same.


	13. Chapter 13

**I liked writing this chapter, I'm gonna try to add more action. Thanks for all the support. Enjoy. **

Chapter 13:

I advance again, jabbing at Leo's torso. His hammers parry them easily, just as I expect. Once I get close enough for Leo to lunge with his hammers, I let him attack. He swings with his right arm, aiming for my stomach, but I make no effort to block it with my sword. I just keep my eyes on his exposed leg, waiting for the right moment.

The moment before his hammer makes contact with my ribs, I summon a wall of darkness to block the blow. Leo's hammer bounces off the shield of darkness and while he's off balance, I take that moment to finish him.

I swing the flat of my blade at his legs and before it connects, I yell, "Sorry!" Leo crumples to the ground and I put my sword to his throat. That signifies he's captured and can't battle anymore.

I quickly turn to Jason and see he's advancing on Will. I sprint to aid Will, just as he reaches for his last arrow. As I hurry to get to Will, he nods to me, giving me a signal.

While we were practicing earlier today, I tried Shadow Traveling Will's arrows as they were in flight, to catch the target by surprise. I would move the arrow behind the dummy so the arrow would fly into it from its back. It didn't work all of the time, so I'm worried I won't be able to do it this time.

I nod back to Will and he lets his last arrow loose. I keep running, concentrating on the arrow. Jason flicks his hand to blow it out of the way, but before the gust of wind can move it off course, I Shadow Travel the arrow behind him, just as planned.

The arrow connects with Jason's back a moment later and he stumbles, but doesn't fall down. He then notices me and smiles dangerously. "That was a nasty trick, dude," he diverts his attention to me and advances slowly.

I know he's way more skilled than me, so I stay on the defensive. He drives to my exposed left side, and I dance back quickly. One of his cuts get so close to me that it cuts through my belt and part of my jeans.

Hazel sees my retreat and turns her attention to me. I scramble backwards, trying to get as far away from Jason as I can. A moment later, a brick starts to condense between us, a work of Hazel's Mist magic.

Jason barely has time to slow down and stops a few inches from the ever-solidifying wall. Soon it's going to lock him inside, with Frank, Leo, and Piper, but before solidifies, he prepares to make one last attack.

I stand a few feet away from the hardening wall, not thinking Im in any danger. But when Jason takes a stance, I scramble backwards and brace myself. Jason lets loose a huge blast of wind _through_ the thickening wall, and it sends me flying. My sword clatters in the opposite direction, pulled from my hand.

I'm lifted off my feet and crash into Will, which also sends him through the air. His bow is wrenched from his grip and we soar tens of yards from Hazel's wall. We hit the ground at a sickening speed and tumble as one, a jumble of limbs bouncing off the ground.

We finally slow down, covered in a layer of dirt and twigs. I'm sprawled on top of him, inches from his face. His arms are wrapped around me, cushioning my landing.

He groans and opens his eyes. We lock eyes and I rest my head on his shoulders, hearing his heart hammer. "You comfortable?" He voice is strained. "I'm glad I can be your human cushion"

I roll my eyes and slide off of him. "Shut up," I lay next to him, too tired to get up. He laces hims fingers through mine as I keep talking. "You were the one that grabbed onto me."

As we lie had in hand, looking at the treetops, my heart finally calms down. "You okay?" He props himself up onto his elbow and looks at me, eyebrows furrowed.

I lift my shaky hand and wipe away a streak of dirt on his cheek. "Yeah, but what do we do now?"

I get up, but my legs snag on something, and I tumble back to the ground. That's when I realize my pants bunched up at my ankles, my belt shredded. I look at Will, wide-eyed and hastily pull up my pants.

Will tries to suppress a laugh, but can't. "Who knew the son of Hades would have flower print boxers?" He rolls on the ground, not able to stop laughing.

I blush redder than a beet and try to act angry. "I got these while bringing back the Athena Parthenos. It was the only thing there."

Will finally calms down and stands up with me. I have to hold up my jeans with one and, which gives me a weird limp. Without saying a word, he brings out lips together, mixing our saliva and dirt.

During our kiss, I unknowingly let go of my pants and bring Will into a hug. When we dismantle ourselves from one another, I realize again that my pants are to my ankles.

This time, I don't feel as uncomfortable, but I still blush and pull them up quickly. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed," Will teases me with his curly hair bobbing as he walks.

"Shut up, Solace," I nudge him playfully. We walk back to where we flew from and look for our weapons. I keep an ear open for any signs of people, or indication that the game's still going on.

Will finds his bow first, with his empty quiver. A few yards ahead, my sword, or the remains of my sword, is bunched up in the roots of a tree. I run towards it, feeling darkness radiate from that spot.

The air gets so frigid, I slow down and feel goosebumps grow all along by skin. Shards of my black sword are encased in darkness, spewing it out like a fountain. Will stays away, but I step closer. The darkness snakes to my feet and dissipates, until all the darkness is gone and only pieces of my sword are left.

I don't even bother to pick up the remnants of my sword. The metal has gone from its usual black to the bland grey of normal iron.

I kick the hilt and walk back to Will. Before he can ask what happened, I explain. "My sword broke. Literally. It does that every once in a while. The darkness inside it escapes and turns the blade back into iron, instead of Stygian Iron."

Will slings his arm around my shoulders and brings me close. "Well, don't worry about it. We'll go to the Underworld and get you a new one."

"I don't think so, you can't just waltz into the Underworld like you own the place," I assume he's joking.

"Well, I have you to protect me from all the evil spirits. I've always wanted to go," he replies casually. He drops his arm from my shoulder when we hear a commotion up ahead. He lets me go ahead of him so I can scout, which I don't understand. It's not like he can back me up with his bow and no arrows.

The commotion gets louder and I think I can make out some people's voices. Before I can take another step, my pants are ripped from my hand and fall to my ankles again. I trip on them and tumble to the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.

Behind me, Will bursts out laughing and helps me up. He grabs my pants for me and pulls them up. His hand runs up my leg, sending a shiver across my body. I don't know if meant it, but before I can ask, the whole commotion quiets down.

I grab my pants to keep them up and look at all the quiet people staring at us. The whole camp has set up an infirmary to take care of the injured, and everyone's helping out. Except now, they're looking at Will and me. Jason and Percy look at us wide-eyed, Piper's trying to suppress a laugh, and Annabeth gives me a thumbs-up.

At first, I don't understand their reactions, but then I realize what our entrance looked like. I want to say something to show we weren't fooling around, but can't.

"Looks like someone got some action," Annabeth winks at me, and the whole camp erupts in laughter.


	14. Chapter 14

**I liked writing this chapter. Enjoy.**

**Damn, the glitch happened again. I don't know what's wrong. I hope it's better now.**

Chapter 14:

Will bites his lip, suppressing a laugh, and I jab him with my elbow. "Why are you laughing?" I give him one of my death stares and he reluctantly stops.

"Come on, it's funny," he snuggles my arm. "Nothing happened, but they all imagined things. Lighten up."

The camp has settled somewhat, and gone back to what they were doing. I get some funny looks and winks, as we walk toward the Seven.

"So did we win?" Will asks Annabeth, who's telling Percy a joke in his ear. Hazel looks at us and shakes her her head.

"When you guys abandoned me, I was pretty defenseless, so once they broke out of my Mist trap, they just marched to the flag and took it." Will makes an _oops _face and shrugs. "What _were_ you two doing when you left?"

Hazel smiles, as if she already knows, and the Seven turn to hear the answer. Will doesn't answer, so I take it upon myself to fill them in. "Well, while I was fighting Jason, he cut through my belt and part of my pants." I raise my tattered belt and show them the cut belt. Realization dawned on all of them and they all smile. "And Will was just messing with me and pants-ed me when we came into view."

We all share a laugh, with Will blushing and the Seven then disperse to help out the wounded. Will goes to look over the infirmary, which I don't want to do, so I stay with Hazel, catching up with her.

"How was the rest of the journey, without me? Tell me everything," I prompt her and genuinely want to know. After being with the whole crew of the Argo II, I have gotten somewhat attached to everyone, which is so unlike me.

So she starts retelling what happened from the moment I left with Reyna, up until the moment they were catapulted to camp.

By the time she's done recounting everything, it's time to sleep, so we part ways and I call it a night.

The next morning, I wake up to a soft tapping on my cabin's door. It's pushed open and Will's voice whispers through the slit he made. "Nico, wake up."

I groan and get up. "What the Hades are you doing here? It isn't even five in the morning," I check the clock on the wall and glare at him. He's all prepared for the day, in the stupid Camp Half-Blood and a bow in his hand.

"We're going to get you your sword. Now come on, we don't have a lot of time," Will walks in and rips the covers off my bed.

I panic, remembering I only sleep in underwear, and try to cover myself up. "Hey!" I yelp and grab the sheets to cover myself.

"You're still thin," he muses and pokes my exposed ribs. "Are you ever going to be comfortable around me? I'm your boyfriend, not a stranger."

I get up with a huff and drop my sheets. Quickly, I grab my clothes and put them on. I instinctively reach for my sword, but it takes me a moment to remember I don't have one anymore.

"Take this," Will pulls a sword from behind him and gives it to me. It's a typical Celestial Bronze sword, but nothing like mine.

"Why do I need this? Can't we just Shadow-."

"I don't think so, Angel Boy," Will chides. "You're still on probation. No major _Underworld-ly _stuff for a while."

I move to protest, but he hugs me and our lips meet. My anger dissipates as our lips grind together. Will bites my lower lip as we kiss, and I blush a dark shade of red, and keep kissing him.

We twist out of our intimate embrace, but stay leaning on his shoulders. "I love you," I whisper and listen to Will's heartbeat. "But you can be s stubborn sometimes."

"Love you too," he brings my head to his and pecks me on the mouth. "I assume you can get Jules-Albert to drive us?"

"Why can't I just Shadow Travel us there? It will take us no time to get there if I do," I complain as we walk into the morning air.

"Because I said so. No _Underworld-ly_ stuff for a while," Will leads me to Thalia's tree, where Argus is waiting for us.

"Did you ask Chiron if we could go?" I ask, trying to keep up with his long stride.

"Yeah, don't worry. As long as we're back by nighttime, we should be good," he reassures me and thanks Argus.

We get into the black car with Jules-Albert in the front. "Hello Jules. How you doing?" I ask him in Italian since he doesn't understand English very well, and Italian is closer to French.

He responds in the clicking skeleton language and I nod. "Can you take us to the Underworld entrance in Central Park, please?"

He nods back as a response and I lean back next to Will. "So polite," he notices. I roll my eyes and lean on his shoulder.

"Well I mean his whole existence is to drive me around, so I feel kinda obliged to be nice," I respond defensively. "He's really nice."

Will rests his hand on my leg and we start talking about mindless things. I talk about being on the Argo II, and he talks about preparing for battling the Romans. I warn him of things to look out for in the Underworld like Cerberus, the skeleton guards and most of all, my dad. If I knew we were going to the Underworld, I would have prayed to my father to not run into us. I haven't talked to him in ages, and it would be even more awkward if Will is with me.

Before I know it, I say goodbye to Jules-Albert and walk into Central Park, hand in hand with Will. His bow is packed into a golf bag, and I tuck my sword into my pants.

A few early-morning joggers pass by, and a few men in suits stroll by, but besides that, Central Park is deserted. "How'd you know there was an entrance in Central Park?"

He shrugs. "I just asked Chiron." I lead him off the normal path, over a fence, and onto the dewy grass. We pass a few trees and finally make it to a secluded corner of the park.

I turn around to see if we're pursued, and my heart skips a beat. "Uh, Will?" I stop and pull him around.

It takes him a moment to realize what's chasing us, but when he does, he gasps.

"Apollo's ass, we're screwed."

One of the guys in a suit has followed us off the trail and has started morphing in front of our eyes. The suit rips as his torso and legs grow, a spiky tail grows from his back side.

The man's face stays the same, and that's when I know what it is. "Gods damned manticore." I whisper and think about the first time I saw a manticore.

It was years ago, it was actually the first monster I saw, and my sister was there. Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth were there to save us, and I mostly remember being very confused.

The manticore's purrs rip me back from that memory and I analyze the situation. Will lets loose a couple of arrows, but they bounce harmlessly off the manticore's coat. It drops onto its four legs and poises the scorpion tail to shoot. "Watch out!" I shout and prepare to jump out of the way.

The manticore hisses and lets loose a few sharp projectiles. With my sword in hand, I roll forward and sneak closer to him.

Will shoots two projectiles out of the air, and a third whizzes by, scraping his leg. I hear him take a sharp breath and almost stop to help him. But I keep going, determined to take this manticore out.

The Celestial Bronze sword in my hand feels too heavy, but it's the best I have. I feign to his legs, wanting to get a clear shot of his mouth, the only vulnerable spot on his body, since his fur is pretty much impenetrable.

The manticore falls for the bait and rears on its hind legs. I jab at the exposed mouth, but I don't take into account my heavy blade and it misses, the sword harmlessly bounces off his face.

He lets out a guttural laugh and swipes at me. I block it with my uncomfortable blade and grunt at the impact. A red dot appears on the manticore, and I know it's from Will's bow. I know he needs a clear shot at the manticore's mouth, so I keep its attention.

I slash again at its muzzle, but it's easily blocked. I lose my balance and in that split second of unbalance, the manticore pounces.

He claws at me, but I scramble backwards, feeling the _whoosh _of his claws centimeters from my skin. His hind legs tense and I know he's going to pounce again.

"Move!" Will warns me, and I know what happened: he found an opening.

I throw my sword at the manticore, knowing well that it won't do anything, but it distracts him for a second. That second saves me because I run backwards, away from him.

Will's red dot lines up with the manticore's mouth just as he pounces on me and he lets his arrow loose. The quarrel connects with the manticore as they're both in flight, the arrow exploding on contact.

The shockwave and heat him me a moment later, searing my arms and tearing up my eyes. I stumble and fall to the ground, seeing all that's left of the manticore is a pile of yellow dust and some scorched grass.


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter's a little long, but probably my favorite chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter 15

"What were you doing, trying to fry me?" I grin and look at Will. He's on one knee, blood seeping from his scrape.

Without answering, he slumps down and drops his bow. My grin fades and I realize manticores are poisonous. "Will!" I shout and scramble toward him.

Before I get to him, I can hear his labored breathing. "Hey, sorry about that," he replies softly. "I'm fine, relax. Just go into my backpack and get the green liquid." Will sucks in his breath, and I know he's in pain. The wound, even though it's shallow, is turning a sickly purple. I can feel the death and disease radiating from it, which worries me.

The green liquid is warm to the touch and I fumble to open it. "Just pour it on the cut. Don't be stingy," he tells me through grit teeth. I nod in response, not trusting my voice.

I pour the the warm goop on the purpling wound, despite Will's obvious discomfort. "It's okay," I whisper and hold his hand. He holds it in an iron grip.

After pouring the goop, Will makes me bandage it, going step-by-step so I do it right. He drains a flask of nectar and hesitantly stands up. Will's leg shakes with he effort and he bites his lip in pain. I come to his aid and I let him put some weight on me.

"You good?" I ask quietly. Before he answers, I lean my face up and brush my lips against his. He leans in with eyes close, tired from fighting the poison.

"Yeah. I'm glad I brought my medical kit," he whispers back, just inches from my face. He leans back into the kiss and we stay there for a few moments.

Our kiss is interrupted by the grating of stone on stone. We both turn and see a rock roll to unveil a staircase.

I steer Will slowly down the stairs but we have to stop on multiple occasions for Will to catch his breath, and he leans on me almost all the time.

A handful of minutes and thousands of steps later, we reach the bottom of the stairs, with he River Styx right in front of us. "Woah," is all Will can say.

On the other side of the Styx is a massive black wall, with hundreds of skeleton guards. Each guard is equipped with different weapons; they range from machetes to bows to heavy guns. They patrol on top of and at the base of the wall like the Underworld is a maximum-security prison.

Which it is, of course.

I lead my awestruck boyfriends towards a bridge to cross the Styx. We get to the actual entrance of the Underworld, guarded by Cerberus, when Will finally says something. "This place is so cool. My dad is missing out," he says while looking around like a tourist. I give him a questioning look, I don't understand what he's trying to say, so Will explains. "My dad always boasts that he's seen everything, since, ya know, he's the sun and all, but he hasn't seen this before, and it's _amazing._"

I roll my eyes and walk up to Cerberus, bypassing a few hundred ghosts. When Cerberus notices me, his three tails start wagging in unison. The middle head bends down and I scratch under his chin. I have to dodge the water-ballon size globs of drool from his mouth, but I still pet him. I notice Will's gone very silent and smile to myself; I can tell he's slightly worried about the huge dog in front of him.

Sure enough, the head I'm petting takes a sniff of the air and Cerberus's eyes widen. He straightens his head and looks around for the unusual smell. Once he sees Will, he and his two other heads growl; a low, menacing growl.

Will eyes grow to the size of saucers and he looks at me for help. I smile inwardly and sooth Cerberus. "It's okay, he's my boyfriend. He's nice, don't hurt him."

I pat Cerberus's leg and he calms down. I grab Will by the arm and push through the lines of ghosts. "You're not always the tough guy in this relationship, sunshine," I jab him playfully as the ghosts part for me.

We pass the Fields of Punishment, the milk-curdling cries of pain wafting through the air. I make a beeline for Hades's Palace, not wanting to stay here any longer than I need to. I'm dreading the moment if and when Hades pops in to meet Will.

The palace comes into view, its bright torches sticking out of the dark surroundings. The palace is almost as guarded as the wall, with a handful of skeletons guarding the entrance to the palace.

I communicate in their clicking tongue, and after a minute of arguing about Will, they let me in. We finally enter the black palace and I lead Will to my room.

He protests, wanting to see all the rooms, but I pull him along anyway. "Everything's the same. Black floors, black furniture, skulls everywhere, and if you're lucky, there might be a splash of dark purple somewhere," I explain. "My room's the only thing with a different color, and the color's gray. That's how bleak this place is is."

"But what about in the winter, Persephone must brighten the place up," Will tries to reason with me as we walk to my room. We pass countless hallways, all marked with skulls ad bones. Our footsteps make too much noise for my liking, but I don't try to stop it.

"Well, yeah, Father would do anything for her, but while she's gone, he changes it back to black. Black, black, black, everything's black," I reply, acting annoyed, but I actually kind of like this place. It's comforting to be back after so long.

We finally make it to my bedroom, my pride and glory. I've coaxed my dad to get me whatever I want, and I have pretty much anything that anyone would think of. "Woah," Will stops in his tracks and I have to drag him into my room so I can close the door. "This place is _amazing_." He goes up to the flatscreen TV and marvels at it. He passes a foosball table and sits on one of the beanbags. A cooler in the corner of the room buzzes softly.

"Yeah, but there's nothing to do," I reply, already bored. Now I remember why I don't like this place.

"What are you talking about? You have, like, every shooter game in existence," he browses through my video games and I yawn.

Before I can answer, there's a knock at my door and it slowly opens. I already know who it is, and my heart sinks.

"Hello, son."

My dad comes into view, a human version of Hades from the Disney movie _Hercules._ He has a gray robe on, and a skull pendant holding it up. His long face is tipped with blue flames that reflect his mood. It always makes me laugh that this is how he chooses to look, like a human version of a cartoon.

Will instantly stands up at Hades's voice and turns, wide-eyed. My dad looks at Will with a cool smile. "Hi Will," he begins, and turns back to me. "I felt you were here, so I wanted to drop by."

I give him a cold glare, not responding, but he keeps smiling. "It's such a relief seeing you do so well, son. Why are you down here, did come to visit?"

I look at him for a while before answering. I know he know's my sword broken, but he's just playing with me. "Actually, no. But I do love the new decor you put in. The black really brings out your heart." I say it with a hint of humor, so I don't get zapped into darkness. "My sword broke, so I'm here to get a new one."

Hades tilts his head to Will with a look on his face. "I can never tell if he's joking or not," Father tell Will and cracks a smile. He turns back to me and says while inviting himself into the room, "Yeah, I know. I know your sword break. That's actually why I came here."

He snaps and Will recoils back, as if my dad's about to kill him, which is totally possible. A sword appears next to Father, and he grabs it. Before saying anything to me, he turns, yet again, to Will. "Don't be scared. I would never hurt a guest of the house," his flame hair turns violent and he has a wicked look in his eye.

"Um, what about the time you locked up Perc-," I go to protest, but Hades interrupts me.

"As I was saying," he looks back at me, still smiling. That fake smile seems to never go off his face. "Since you broke your sword, I thought it's a good time for an upgrade."

He pauses to grab the sword out of the air. I give him a confused look and he keeps explaining. "So I want to give you this. It's the first sword I used, made for the Titanomachy, the First Titan War. It's a thank-you for saving the world." He pauses a moment then adds, "And making me proud."

I glance at him suspiciously. "Don't worry, I got the cyclopses to fix it up just like your last sword." When I don't make a move to take it, he shoves it in my direction. "Can you just take it and be grateful? It took me a while to find it."

I gaze at Will, wondering if this is all part of a bigger evil plan. The blade _does_ look nice; I can feel the fear radiating from it. I reluctantly take the blade.

"Thanks Dad," I mumble and look at Hades. He has a sad smile on his face, but a genuine sad smile.

"No problem. I hope you like it. Thanks again for saving the gods' sorry butts." He walks backwards toward the door and starts to close it. "Don't have too much fun, you two."

He winks and his hair flames a deep red. It does that when he's joking, which isn't often. I groan, "Daaaad," but he closes the door and Shadow Travels away.

Will lets out some pent-up breath and slumps into a chair. "Well that was something I never expected."


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for the late upload. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 16:

"What in the gods just happened?" Will mutters half to himself. "That was so…" He looks around for the right word, as if it's written on one of the black walls. "Anticlimactic."

I smile knowingly. "Yeah. I never understood why my dad got such a bad rep. Like he's a decent guy for a god. I've heard some pretty weird things from Demeter's kids that no one ever talks about."

I go over to sit next to Will. "No one really knows much about the Underworld and my dad. Everyone thinks he's a grumpy guy, which he is, but he's more than that. He's capable of love, and empathy. He knows things other people don't." I pause to take a breath. "It's just so hard to explain." I know I'm delving into some deep things, but I feel comfortable in my room, with Will.

I look at him and he nods, wanting me to go on. I don't know whether he really wants to know my thoughts or he's just being nice. I hope it's the former. "Like he loved my mother, but when she died, he didn't even consider to bring her back. It was in his realm of power, no one would question him, but he knew the Fates had it right. When someone dies, they should stay dead." I shake my head spitefully. "It took me a while to realize that. I tried bringing Bianca back, but she knew. She knew it would be worse if she came back."

Something in me likes talking about my thoughts, it feels like I'm straightening them out. Will sits on a beanbag, listening. "But going back to my father, he really does have a bad reputation. But it's not his fault. It's just that no one really knows what goes on down here. I bet no one knows two of Cerberus's heads are female, so that makes him more girl than boy. I bet you didn't know that my father plants tulips, Persephone's favorite flower, all over the Underworld when she arrives in Autumn.

"He's a respectful guy, like most gods," I conclude my speech there, too worn out from telling so much. I look over at Will apologetically. "Sorry I went on a little rant."

He smiles and comes to sit next to me on the bed. He knits jobs hands in mine and squeezes them. "It's all good. Sometimes the best thing to do is rant. So, how's the sword?" He marvels at it and goes to touch it.

"I don't think so, sunshine," I jerk the sword away from him before he can touch it. "If you want your soul being sucked into the sword, then go ahead, but I don't think yo'll want that."

"Hades is right, you are one sassy boy," Will shakes his head and leans back on the bed. I follow suit and lean on his shoulders after putting down my new sword.

I thread my fingers through his hair and drape my other hand over his chest, feeling him inhale and exhale. We stay there for a few minutes, just comfortable next to each other. His blonde hair is so mesmerizingly soft, I keep playing with it.

A while after, he starts moving, but stop him before he can get up. He looks confused at first, but then he sees my mischievous smile. I clamber on top of him, pinning him down. I'm kneeling above him, my knees next to his hips, and I lean down to kiss him.

While I lean down to kiss him, I graze my hand under his shirt and feel his warm torso. He sucks in his breath at my hand teasing his chest, but I suppress him with a more passionate kiss.

I fall on top of him, both our hearts hammering. We lay cheek to cheek, happy in each other's embraces. I finally slide off of him and strengthen out my t-shirt. He gets up and fixes his tousled hair.

"We should go soon," Will checks his watch as I sheath my sword. I straighten out the bed sheets and prepare to leave.

We walk out of the palace, the skeletons shutting the doors behind us. I lead Will toward the entrance of the Underworld, and we get up to the mortal world without a problem. I whistle Jules-Albert and his car appears out of the shadows. A few people are startled, but the Mist does it's work to distort the mortals' minds.

We get in and Will comments about the time. "It feels like it should be way earlier," I look outside to see what he's talking about, and he's right. The sun is already halfway down its descent, and we were only down in the Underworld for a few hours.

"Yeah, the Underworld's time is messed up. Sometimes it's faster, sometimes it's slower," I shrug. We'll still make it back to Camp in time, so I'm not worried.

An hour and lots of snuggling later, we get back to camp. I thank Jules-Albert and he melts away in a puddle of shadows.

"Hello, Argus," I greet him as we walk by him. In response, Argus nods and blinks his hundred eyes.

"Let's go see Chiron so he know we're back," Will leads me by my hand until we get to the Big House. The sun's rays still illuminate part of the house, making it seem like it's shining.

Chiron sees us on the porch and nods. He gives us a thumbs-up when I unsheathe my new sword. "Wow, it's radiating fear. Even I can feel that."

"Yeah," I look down, embarrassed. "It was my dad's first sword, and he, um, gave it to me." I feel uncomfortable knowing I have such an ancient and powerful sword.

"Congratulations, Nico," Chiron pats me on the back, which is slightly uncomfortable. "You earned it. After saving the world, I wasn't be surprised Hades would get you something."

I beam at the compliment, which is so unlike me, but it feels nice to be complimented by Chiron. Will walks out, he's going to check on the infirmary, and I stay with Chiron for a bit to talk.

The morning conch wakes me up the next day and I walk out of my cabin to see Hazel waiting for me outside, already out of bed. "Hey," I greet her sleepily. "Whats up?"

Her eyebrows are knitted together, so I know she's worried. "I'm feeling a powerful piece of Stygian Iron somewhere. I can't pinpoint it, but it's close, _very_ close."

It takes me a second to realize what she's talking about, until I realize I got a new sword. "Oh, Hazel," I laugh, probably confusing her more. "Dad gave me a new sword. It's his first one, so you're probably feeling that." I snap and the sword solidifies from my shadow. I grab the sword from its sheath of darkness and show it to her.

"Wow," she says in awe. "It's powerful, that's for sure. You deserve it." She brings me into a hug and I snuggle back.

I spend the beginning of my day floating around. I hang out with Jason and Piper, fixing Jason's glasses whenever they're crooked. Piper tells me about her going back to her dad for the year, maybe bringing Jason with her.

I smile sadly. I notice how the couple are isolating themselves from the rest, but I shrug it off. Maybe they just want some alone time together, since they've been on the same ship for the past few months. I make a mental note to try and bring them together every so often.

I hang out with Leo for a little bit, not wanting to near Calypso for too long. I'm still pretty salty about how she was so rude to me when she arrived at camp. Being close to her brings back the memories of Ogygia, which I really don't want to relive.

Finally, I find Will at the archery range, practicing with his bow. I watch at the edge of the range, him firing arrow after arrow at the bulls-eye.

His motions are so fluid, I get mesmerized by it. He grabs an arrow from his quiver and pulls it back in the same motion. He stops to aim for a split second, and bam, the arrow's in the haystack.

Will finally notices me and calls me over. "Want to shoot some? I can teach you," he winks. He lets an arrow loose while looking at me and still gets the bulls-eye.

I roll my eyes and huff. "Showoff," I act uninterested, but I still pick up a bow.

"Oh no. Not that one, Angel Boy," he pats me on the back and snatches the bow from my hand. "If you were a foot taller and at least 20 pounds heavier, then you can use that bow. But you're puny and need a smaller bow." He reaches for one of the bows on a rack. He mutters to himself which one would fit the best.

"Ah ha, here it is," he hands me a small bow that's way smaller than Will's. He hands it to me and I look at it in disgust.

"It's so small. I bet it can't even shoot ten feet," I almost throw it down, but Will looks at me patiently.

"Can you trust my archery skills? I think I have slightly more experience than you with bows," Will's voice is lathered in sarcasm.


	17. Chapter 17

**This is it. This is all I've gotten up to. In 3 weeks, this is all I wrote. It's horrible, I know. I just lost my Solangelo feels and there really was no place to go with this story that I can think of. **

Chapter 17:

I roll my eyes and let him put me in the right stance. He grazes his hand across my legs and he comments on my posture. "Straight legs." "Wider stance." It's all I can do to not squirm at his gentle touch.

"Okay, looking good," he steps away from me and finally hands me the bow. He positions my arm until it's almost perfect and then gives me an arrow. "Now you have to draw, aim and fire as fast as you can."

I do exactly as he says and I almost impale a passing satyr. Will takes the bow from me quickly, before I can do anymore damage. The satyr waves his hand at me angrily, but Will shrugs it off. "Not the worst start."

Before he can instruct me further, Hazel and Frank walk by. When Hazel sees me trying out archery with Will, she drags Frank to say hi.

"I've been meaning to learn archery," Hazel begins with a grin. I look at her, confused, but let her keep talking. "And now that you have Will," she arcs her eyebrows suggestively. "We can both learn. Will will teach you, and Frank'll teach me."

She gives me a huge smile and I can't help but reciprocate. Frank starts finding a bow for Hazel while Will gives me more pointers on shooting.

**I am writing a Bianca and Nico AU though if you want to check it out. It won't let me post a link, but go to my profile. It's called "DiAngelo Duo".**

**Sorry again about ending this fanfiction. :( thanks for all the tremendous support. ily all**


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